dancinbcs

Double coated breeds like Border Collies don't grow much coat if they are used for serious work. A dog running 40kms a day simply doesn't get the coat that a show/perfomance dog in suburbia does. Even with a good run and lots of activity every day the the suburban dog will generally have much more coat than it's litter mate on a large acreage. My theory is that when the body temperature is constantly up from work, the coat doesn't grow. If you own an obsessive dog that left to it's own devices, runs all day, you need to confine it if you want to keep any condition or coat on it. Weight also makes a difference. Most underweight dogs will not grow a decent coat.

There are lots of good breeders in both states but in Qld in particular there are a lot more shonky breeders so you are wise to ask but you should be looking for a breeder of good Border Collies, not just family pets. Most of the shonky ones advertise their dogs as family pets because they aren't sound enough to do anything else. Health testing is vital in this breed. Parents need DNA results for CL, TNS and CEA and should be hip and elbow scored as well. To narrow it down a bit what region are you in, what do you plan to do with the dog - obedience, agility, herding, etc? When are you looking at getting a puppy? Some of the better breeders may not have a litter planned for another year or so.

They really aren't the things I could tell you (but not on a public forum) ;) . Me too. I wish we could tell everyone what has happened but I'm sure some of these companies have more lawyers than scientists. Genetic testing patents are an absolute legal minefield. This is why I am against compulsory profiling. I don't mind disease tests being patented by those that discover them because they have poured a fortune into developing the tests but I do object to profiling all needing to be done through the same lab because they can't share data to make it more competitive.

Not one of mine have passed away on their own but have had to be pts. Sam at least 17yrs - Samoyed cross we think - Congestive heart failure. Sandy 18 yrs - Labrador - Heart attack. Danny 11 yrs - Border Collie - Prostate cancer Cindy 15 years - Border Collie - Kidney failure Spark nearly 14 years - Border Collie - Lymphoma but had survived a fatal Mast Cell tumour at 11yrs. Gina 14 yrs - Border Collie - Stroke. Shadow 5 years - Border Collie - Brain damage from bacterial meningitis. Dharma nearly 11yrs - Border Collie - Lung Cancer.

dna tests This page on the ASAP site lists diseases with DNA tests but they cannot test Australian dogs for those with an asterisk next to the name because they are patented and licenced to other labs. Each lab has different conditons that they hold licences to do the testing for so for most conditions there is no choice of lab. You have to go with whoever is licenced to do that test for Australia.

If your vet is good with the ultrasound, why bother with an x-ray? With even 3 or 4 puppies you should be able to see the size and position with a decent ultrasound in the last few days. An x-ray is really only useful to work out numbers with very big litters where you may not pick them all up with the ultrasound.

Thanks everyone for the tips. She eats raw oats for brekky, and I was giving her a cheaper dry(smallish amount) mixed with Kangaroo or beef mince.I regularly get her meaty lamb bones as a change. I think she might just like rubbing her bottom :laugh: as she did it again breifly at a walk this pm/ Re: other dogs, no we haven't, and any that come over she will let them eat her food I will try the starve thing( hope hubby and kids don't sneak her food!) for a little bit and if the sardines don't work I will donate it! \BTW, how long does it last...its a very BIG bag! Try the Blackhawk thread and see if anyone on there wants to buy some from you if they don't need a full bag. I buy the 3kg bags now but was buying 2kg at a time from a friend with more dogs who was buying the 20kg bags. 20kgs would last my dogs 10 months so I prefer to buy in smaller quantities.

Can your local vet do the ultrasound and prog test at 59/60 days? Then make a decision about if you need to do a caesar and who will do it. Does the local vet do many?

Larger raw bones like turkey necks or lamb bones are best for making the anal glands work but if you want to persist with the dry food try dropping little bits on the kitchen floor. Most dogs cannot resist "cleaning up" anything they think isn't their's. Once they get the taste for it you can start adding small amounts to the regular feed and gradually increase it. Do you have another dog? If so jealousy works well. Give it to the other dog to make her want it. I have an 8 year old that has always had all raw and would not even taste any other dry food or commercial dog treat but he loves Blackhawk. It is also the only dry food I could get my new puppy to eat after trying 3 others. My dogs that have had dry dog food have always preferred it separate to other foods and not soaked. If it was ever mixed in with other food they wouldn't touch it.

In 29 years I have only ever known of two Border bitches to whelp a live singleton without a caesar. The chances of her going into labour are very slim so I would be prog testing her and doing the caesar as soon as the level drops if she isn't in labour. Frozen semen is implanted after ovulation so the pregancy will be shorter than 63 days. I am pretty sure it is 61 days and I would not let her go over that. Better a caesar for a live puppy than a dead one.

I will never use it again after having dogs develop severe allergy problems after using it. One recovered but died young from cancer. The other has has had ongoing allergy problems ever since, that have cost me a fortune and ended any chance I had of showing this dog. I also have friends who have dogs that have reacted the same way. It screws up the immune system, sometimes permanently.

I kept an old girl going for an extra 2-3 years with regular acunpuncture. She only had painkillers daily in her last few months before we lost her to a stroke.

If her back is out if it is twitching. Find a good chiro and maybe get some acupuncture as well. Keep her quiet with just lead walks, no running or playing until you get it settled down.

The breeder is not obligated to pay any of they vet bills. If you had returned the dog for a refund when you discovered it had a faulty immune system, they would have been obligated to take the dog back and refund the purchase because the dog was not fit for the purpose it was purchased for. This may still be an option but you would need legal advise because you have now opted to treat it. No matter what you do please do LOTS MORE RESEARCH before ever contemplating breeding dogs. The skin problems with Blues in SBTs are very well documented. Just a little research could have prevented you ending up with a dog like this. If you plan to breed them you need to know that the breed is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier not English Staffordshire Terrier and also need to be aware that blues cannot have a black nose and therefore cannot conform to the breed standard. Reputable breeders generally do not breed from blues and never ever do blue to blue matings because of the associated health issues.

If you get hip x-rays make sure you go to a vet that does lots of hip screening x-rays for breeders. Most vet are not able to do a decent hip x-ray. I would be wary of having it done while she is sore. Try a chiro first then find the right vet to do the x-rays and get them properly scored.

Surely if the dog suffers separation anxiety he would be better to go with his family than to be rehomed. With the new rules there is no quarantine.

Haven't had one done for a while but I think they are about $50-$60 with no consult fee if you just need the ultrasound. Our vets do lots of ultrasounds as their main clientele are breeders. They are pretty accurate with numbers but sometimes there are one or two hiding in a bigger litter. I prefer 5 weeks when you can clearly see them moving around and compare the sizes.

We use nylabones and antlers and they swap from one to the other. I will never buy the cheaper white nylon bones again after having a dog chew one into 2cm pieces, swallow them and throw them all back up again. Very dangerous.

I would like to add: Don't get a Border Collie unless you know how to train a dog. They are easy to train but you need to get it right first go and be able to be consistant with your body language. For a novice dog owner to start with a Border is like someone learning to drive in a Ferrari. Most importantly don't get a Border unless you have a high IQ or the dog will outsmart you at every turn. Border Collies are experts at training their owners if they get half a chance. They are the best breed in the world if you know what you are doing and a complete disaster if you don't.

Great Rugs will custom make whatever you want to fit in the trailer. Made to measure foam beds covered in waterproof canvas are the hardest wearing for everyday use. You can add more soft bedding in colder weather if need be.

The unanswered question from the autopsy is where did the blood in the abdomen come from? They must have some idea. The only conditions I have heard of with similar symptoms and outcomes are bowel obstructions, perforations or torsions or a liver torsion. All can result in death within 12-24 hours of them developing symptoms.

Poor dog. Why would anyone put their nose on the nose of a strange dog? Many dogs would snap in this situation. It was a warning snap not an attack and perfectly normal dog behaviour.

If possible have your mentor there with you, if not have the phone handy and call if you are worried about anything at all. If you bitch whelps easily and works out what to do you won't need to do much except identify the puppies, weigh them and check all is well. Clamps and ties for umbilical cords are only needed if the bitch doesn't chew through them properly and they bleed. Let the bitch do as much as possible. With a large breed it is important to avoid the puppies being stepped on as the whelping progresses. I prefer to just move them to a corner of the box out of the way as each new puppy is born. Some breeders put them in a separate warm box but none of my girls would ever tolerate that and woudl jump out trying to get them back.

Boxers are one of the more cancer prone breeds but there is no way to screen parents in any breed for that. They do age fairly fast and Boxers over 10 are the exception rather than the rule. Many succumb to cancer before that, so I wouldn't say they are a particularly healthy breed but there a not a lot of conditions in them you can test for. White boxers are especially prone to cancer and are also very likely to be deaf and get skin cancer, so white are best avoided. The ANKC does not allow for white Boxers to be registered on any register. I do agree that a female Boxer would probably be the best option for a companion for their existing dog. If he is still full of life a puppy would be fine but if he is slowing down a bit a young adult, failed showdog might be a better option. Boxers tend to get cancers, but many do not, and live into their teens. Apart from that, as long as they come from a good kennel, there should be no health problems. Heart testing is good, but is generally done. White boxers are exactly the same as the other colours. There is no study which suggests they have more cancers or health problems than the other colours. And in my experience, they don't. Perhaps they need a little more care with the sun - but no more than any other shorthaired white breed. And if the dog is deaf, a decent breeder will have picked it up before you buy it. Deaf white boxers are born deaf, so if you want a white, check for deafness before taking it away. And if you buy a puppy, it will get on with your existing dog, and you will not be inheriting someone else's problems. There are not many boxers in rescue, but I would not recommend one for a new boxer owner. If there is no other problems with white Boxers, other than deafness and tendency to skin cancer, like white in some other breeds, why have the breeders requested a ban on the registration of white Boxers from any register? There has to be a reason for these to be the ONLY puppies of any breed to be banned from all ANKC registration. As breeders are not allowed to sell puppies without papers and white Boxers cannot be registered, it follows that white Boxers should not be sold by any breeder. I am curious how this all came about.

Think about what activities you will be doing and avoid names that sound like commands. Eg. in obedience you use words like heel, sit, stand, stay and in sheep trialling you use stop a lot so you wouldn't call a sheep dog "Spot". I suggest you wait until you see the puppy. Sometimes you pick a name and it just doesn't suit. I chose Gina in advance for my first bitch, after her grandmother. It didn't suit her. Her registered name was Wildfire so I tried Cinders but it ended up being Cindy. When I kept a daughter from her, the daughter became my Gina. Fly is a very common Border name so not one I would choose. I prefer the unusual when I can think of something. My last wonderful girl was Dharma, which means perfect behaviour or the divine rule and it suited her perfectly. I also like non-human names if I can think of something appropriate.